Phone Calls
by a-few-of-these-verses
Summary: Pepper discovers her missed call from Tony and is desperate to find him again when she returns to New York City.


Pepper was on her way back from her meeting in D.C., and instead of the usual chatter between coworkers, the cabin was silent. New York City was under attack. Everyone on board watched it burn on the television screen, a helpless feeling gripping them all.

"Pepper, I think your phone just rang," said her colleague Charlie, breaking the silence.

"Who was it?" Pepper asked, keeping her eyes on the screen. The city was falling to pieces. There was a massive hole in the sky that appeared to be serving as a gateway to the invaders. Tony was out there fighting, and she waited to hear any news about him. There hadn't been any new footage of him in what seemed like a lifetime.

"Oh my God, Pepper-"

"Who was it?" she asked again.

"It was Tony."

Pepper turned around and grabbed the phone. At the top of the missed calls list was his name. "Oh no no no no no no no," she muttered as she pressed the send button. "Pick up the phone, pick up the phone, Tony." First ring. "Pick up the phone, damn it!" Second ring. "C'mon, Tony, please pick up!" Third ring. "For the love of God, pick up the phone!" Her hands were shaking. Fourth ring. "Tony, please!"

"Hi, you've reached the voicemail of Tony Stark. You can leave a message if you want; I may or may not call you back-"

Pepper ended the call and slumped into her seat. Half of her colleagues were looking at her, the other half at the screen. Pepper gave a weak smile. "It was probably nothing," she said, returning her eyes to the smoking city. All of the sudden there was Tony falling from the sky. He wasn't stopping. "C'mon, Tony," she whispered as he fell out of sight.

"I'm sure he's alright," Charlie said, squeezing her shoulder.

Pepper nodded, her eyes staying on the screen. The hole in the sky had closed, and the invaders were no longer in the sky. The battle appeared to be over.

"This just in, the mysterious invaders have fallen!" said the news reporter. "No word yet about where they came from, but it can be said that a group of heroes saved our city. Rescue efforts are now under way for survivors. If you are trapped, please call the number on the screen. Stay tuned for more updates."

Pepper began to tap her pen against her lap nervously. She only needed to hear news about Tony. The plane began its descent, and from her window Pepper saw Stark Tower. Most of the letters had fallen to the ground, just like its creator. No, there was a chance he didn't fall. She couldn't let herself think like that. _C'mon, Potts, pull it together_. Tony had gotten out of worse scrapes. He was going to be fine. He had to be.

The jet landed, and Pepper was the first person at the door. She didn't pick up her luggage, it didn't matter and there wasn't time. Happy was parked next to the plane and looked very relieved to see her.

"Have you heard anything about Tony?" she asked as she climbed into the back seat.

"Nothing yet," he answered, putting the car into drive. "Am I glad to see you though-"

"Less talking, more driving," interrupted Pepper.

"Where are we going?"

"Stark Tower," Pepper said, pulling her phone out again. She dialed Tony's number again and waited. There was no answer.

The streets were difficult to drive through. Many were closed off completely, and anyone who was able to drive was driving out of the city. Bricks and chunks of cement littered the sidewalk, and as they drove closer to the tower, Pepper saw the metallic bodies of the invaders.

"What are they?" she asked aloud.

"I don't know," Happy said, glancing in the mirror. "They came from the sky, and I didn't know if they would ever stop. I was at the airport waiting, and well, hiding. It was hell, but all of the sudden they stopped. They just collapsed."

It took far longer than normal to get to the tower. After what seemed like a lifetime, they reached the tower. The letters that once adorned the top were now crumbled at the bottom, scattered around with rubble and broken glass.

"Tony!" Pepper yelled, running into the building. There was no answer. She curled her hands into fists. "Jarvis!"

"Yes, Miss Pepper?"

"Is Tony here?"

"No, he's out at the moment."

He was alive. "Where is he?"

"On the corner of 46th Street and 6th Avenue-"

Pepper was out the door and back on the streets. She jumped back into the car and felt time inch by as Happy navigated the streets. Her heart was racing, her hands shaking as she dialed Tony's number for the third time. For the third time she reached his voicemail. Halfway there, Happy stopped. Pepper looked up and saw a line of abandoned vehicles.

"We're stuck," he said, motioning to the cars and trucks. It looked as if she would have to get there by foot.

"I'll walk then," Pepper said, getting out of the car.

"Pepper-"

"No, if you want to do something, you can get my luggage from the airport. I'm finding Tony."

Happy nodded. "Okay. Just be careful out there. The buildings are less than stable."

"I'll be fine." Pepper shut the door and waved goodbye to Happy before turning to the abandoned cars.

There were crowds on the sidewalk, people talking on their phones, policemen and firemen redirecting routes. She saw teary reunions, others crying alone. Which category would she soon be in?

Pepper walked for an hour, and when she reached the street corner where Tony once was, she found nothing but glass and twisted metal. She didn't know why she thought he would still be there; he could have walked or flown away right after she had asked Jarvis. Her feet sore from walking, she turned around to walk back and stopped mid-step.

There he was, about to walk into a building. He was alive. From where she stood he looked a little beaten, but he was alive.

"Tony!" she yelled, and he turned to her voice. His lips mouthed her name, and she was running to him. Her eyes stayed fixed on him, and for that moment, she didn't see the destruction around her. It was all about Tony.

His arms were around her waist, and her arms around his neck. "I've called you three times. Why didnt you pick up?" she asked as the tears welled up in her eyes.

One of his hands was in her hair now and Tony pulled back. "Why didn't you?"

Pepper shook her head. "I didn't hear it go off."

"Well, I was in space, and for some reason there isn't any reception up there," Tony said, his brown eyes looking at her like it was for the first time. "My suit's a little damaged, so I don't think it let me pick up any calls. I think I have the better excuse."

"Shut up."

Tony smiled. "Okay."

"Promise me that you'll answer my phone calls, or that when you call me, you'll at least leave a message."

"I promise. You?"

Pepper leaned in so that their foreheads were now touching. "Promise."

"Okay, now that we're on the topic of promises, you're going to have to promise me that you won't get mad-"

Pepper folded her arms across her chest. "What is it?"

"Well, I just helped save the world with the team, and we're all pretty famished." Tony gestured to the group of people inside the building, and they waved through the window. "We're just going to eat some dinner, relax. You know, act normal. You can join us if you want."

"No, you go ahead. I'm going to go back and start cleaning up my twelve percent of the tower."

Tony leaned in and kissed Pepper's cheek. "Right, well, I'll see you when we're done."

"Call me," Pepper said, giving Tony's hand a light squeeze. "before you head back."

Tony squeezed back and opened the restaurant door. "I promise."


End file.
